"I’m not so open to working with Disney": Oscar Isaac is unsure about returning to Star Wars

Oscar Isaac, known for his role as Resistance pilot Poe Dameron in Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogy, expressed hesitation about returning to Star Wars. He said he is “not so open to working with Disney” following the company’s suspension of television host Jimmy Kimmel.

In an interview with GQ Magazine, published on November 10, Oscar Isaac discussed his career and whether he would revisit his famous Star Wars character. The actor explained that he would only consider returning to the franchise if Disney could “figure it out” and “not succumb to fascism.”

“Yeah. I mean, I’d be open to it, although right now I’m not so open to working with Disney. But if they can kinda figure it out and, you know, not succumb to fascism, that would be great. If that happens, then yeah, I’d be open to having a conversation about a galaxy far away. Or any number of other things,” he replied.

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The context behind Oscar Isaac’s comments

A still from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Image via Star Wars)

Oscar Isaac’s interview with GQ took place just two days after Disney-owned ABC stopped filming Jimmy Kimmel Live! in late September. Kimmel’s monologue referenced the killing of Charlie Kirk, and ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! following backlash to those remarks.

As reported by The Guardian, during his monologue, Kimmel criticized people from the MAGA movement, saying they were trying to defend the person who shot Kirk. His exact words were:

“The MAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

Disney’s decision to pull Kimmel off the air upset many people, who felt the company was trying to silence free speech. As reported by the Associated Press, when Kimmel returned a few days later, he apologized and said:

''I have no illusions about changing anyone’s mind, but I do want to make something clear, because it’s important to me as a human and that is, you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.”

Things worsened when Brendan Carr, a pro-Trump leader at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), indicated he might consider revoking Disney’s TV licenses. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, Carr said:

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

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Isaac’s history with Star Wars and his new projects

Oscar Isaac appeared in three Star Wars movies from 2015 to 2019: The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker. Despite that success, Isaac has expressed mixed feelings about being part of such a large franchise.

In his interview with GQ, Isaac was asked if he would consider returning to the Star Wars universe after his widely discussed 2020 remark that he would only do so if he “needed another house.” Reflecting on that comment, Isaac said:

“Yeah. That was a real likable quote. Jesus Christ. Y’know, people ask you things, you say stuff, you don’t really think about it that much. I said a slightly di**ish thing.”

Right now, Isaac is focused on new projects. He stars in Frankenstein, a film directed by Guillermo del Toro that is now streaming on Netflix. He plays Victor Frankenstein alongside Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, and Christoph Waltz. He is also preparing to star in the second season of Beef on Netflix.

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